Range



Jan. 30,1951 w. R. JONES RANGE Filed Nov. 8, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Jan. 30, 1951 w. R. JONES RANGE Filed Nov. 8, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 rm 2f 74 25' L2? 1 Lil-23 mgr 147- TOE/YE Y5 Patented Jan. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

said operating means being not only conveniently accessible to the operator but which operating means are protected against unauthorized manipulation by means of a door forming part of the top portion of the stove or range and which can be conveniently moved to open or closed position and the presence of which will not detract from the ornamental appearance of the front portion of the top of the range in which it is installed.

Further and more limited objects of the invention will be pointed out hereinafter and are capable of realization by the construction and arrangement of parts shown 'in the drawings hereof wherein Fig. 1 represents an isometric perspective view of a range having my invention incorporated therein and showing the door, by which access may be had to the burner operating means, in its closed position; Fig. 2 a view similar to Fig. 1 of the upper portion of the range shown in the preceding view, the door being in its open position; Fig. 3 a plan view of the range shown in the preceding views, with the door in its open position; Fig. i a fragmentary side elevational and sectional view of the stove or range with parts of the side and top broken away to show the location of the valve operating means and the connections between the latter and the valves which supply gaseous fuel to the burners. the door being in its open position; Fig. 5 a fragmentary side elevational view of the front portion of the top of the range shown in Fig. 4, the door being in closed position; Fig. 6 a detail in sectional elevation showing the manner of mounting the ends of the control panel within the opening provided there for in the top and front wall or apron and also showing a track guide'for the door which closes said opening; and Fig. 7 a detail in section illustrating the lower end of the panel and the ad acent portion of the front wall or apron and showing the manner in which the door guarding the control panel may be locked in its closed position.

Describing the parts by reference characters, ill denotes generally the top of a gas range having at its front a rounded downwardly extending apron ll constituting the upper portion of the front Wall of said range. l2 denotes the sides of the range and i3 the back thereof and M the back guard. Beneath the bottom of the apron H are located the doors l5 and 6 for the broiler and oven compartments, respectively, and which, together with the doors Hi and 13*, respectively therebeneath, constitute substantially the entire front of the range, as shown herein. The top H! is provided, adjacent to and in front of the back guard M, with a plurality of cooking burners l'l, arranged longitudinally with respect to the top, the top being provided with customary openings 18 registering with the said burners and with grids (not shown) for the support of vessels above the burners.

2i denotes a pipe for supplying gaseous fuel to the aforesaid burners. This pipe communi cates with a manifold 22 which is located below the top and in proximity to the aforesaid burners and which extends substantially the full length of the top. This manifold communicates by short nipples 23 with the casings 24 of valves each having therein a rotary valve plug of the usual type (not shown) and provided with an operating stem 25 projecting toward the front of the range. Each valve casing is provided with anoutlet nipple 26 whereby gaseous fuel may be delivered therefrom into the mixing bell 2'5 of the pipe 28 leading to the appropriate burner.

Additional valve casings 24 and 24 are connected by nipples 23 and 23 to the manifold,

"these valve casings being provided with delivery pipes 29 and 30 leading respectively to an oven burner indicated at 3! and to a broiling burner indicated at 32, these burners being of the usual H shape.

In the space beneath the broiler is a burner 33 for heating a cooker of the deepwell type. the said burnerreceiving its supply of gaseous fuel from the valve casing at by means of a pipe 36. The valve casings 24 24 and 3 are also provided with valves of the rotary plug type, the stems whereon are indicated at 25. 25 and 34 respectively.

the aforesaid valves, I have provided the following construction: I provide an opening in the front of the top and in the apron which constitutes the upper portion of the front, the

opening being designated generally at O. This opening is comprised between a rear horizontal wall 3'! in the top I and forwardly and downwardly extending end walls 38, the bottoms of which extend to the bottom wall 38 adjacent to the bottom of the apron.

39 denotes the bottom plate or base and 39 the sides, or end plates of a control panel which is fitted within the walls 31, 38 and 38 the end walls 39* being of such contour as to enable them to be received beneath the end walls 38 of the openings and to form therewith spaces constituting parts of the guides for the ends of the door for the opening 0, said door to be described hereinafter. The bottom of the panel 39 is secured to and within the wall 38*, as by means of a flange 39 spot-welded to and within the wall 38 while its upper edge is supported, as by spot welding the same to the forward ends of the lower horizontal flanges G of Z-shaped bars, the upper flanges G of which are secured, as by spot-welding, to and beneath the top ID. The horizontal flanges G and the portions of the top I ll overhanging the same complete the guides for the ends of the door the lower portions of which guides are formed between the outer edges of the walls 38 and the overhanging portions of the walls 53 of the top and apron. It will be noted that, when in position, the base 39 of the control panel is inclined rearwardly and upwardly from the front of the range, a position which enables the buttons or handles of the valve operating members supported thereby to be readily visible when viewed from widely-difin turn is connected, by one member 45 of another universal joint and by the other member of the latter joint, with the appropriate valve stem.

The guides formed between the upper ends of the walls 3% and the overhangin walls 38 of the apron and top of the range and by the Z- shaped bars G are adapted to support the side edges of a door D, the same being flexible in order to enable it to conform to the shape of the guides. This flexibility may be conveniently obtained by making the door of a plurality of slats 48 secured to a backing d9 of flexible or pliable material. This construction enables the door, when closed, to harmonize with the shape of the portion of the range in which it is installed and, in fact, to impart an ornamental appearance thereto. The door is provided with means for locking the same in its closed position to prevent access to the operating handles for the various burner valves by any unauthorized persons; which contributes greatly to the safe opera tion of the range. It is shown as provided at its lower end with one member 51) of a lock, which may be of the ordinary sprin actuated latch type, as indicated in Fig. 7, the latch proper being indicated at 55 and havingan upwardly and rearwardly inclined lower edge 52 adapted to engage the keeper 53 secured in an appropriate position upon the panel 39 so that, as the door approaches the closed position shown in Fig. 7,

the latch will be forced outwardly by engagement with the upper edge of the keeper and will thereafter be sprung into locking position shown in the said figure. The part of the lock may be combined conveniently with the knob 54 for raising and lowering the door, the knob having a suitable slot therein for reception of a key 55 by means of which the latch may be withdrawn from engagement with the keeper and permit the door to be raised.

With the parts arranged as thus far described, it will be evident that any one or all of the seven valves shown herein can be operated by operating buttons or handles which are grouped closely together in the middle of the front of the range, thereby rendering the operation of the said valves particularly convenient and efficient.

A control panel, such as shown and described herein, and the door and the locking means therefor may be employed where the cooking burners are electrically-heated units and where the operating members for controlling the electrical current to said burners or units are mounted on the panel. The use of the door and locking means with the control panel will in such case prevent the unauthorized supply of electrical fluid to any of the heating units, thus not only avoiding waste of such fluid but preventing injury to the units, to the vessels heated thereby and the contents of such vessels, and to occupants of the room in which a range provided with my invention may be .located. In addition, the control panel provides a more convenient location of the switch operating members than is the case with the switch operating members with which electric ranges are usually equipped.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a range having a top and a front wall and provided with a plurality of burners below the top and between the front and the back thereof, valves below said top and located rearwardly of the front of the range for controlling the supply of gaseous fuel to said burners and means for supplying gaseous fuel to said valves, means for operating the said valves from the front of the said range, said means comprising an opening formed jointly in the front portion of the top and in the upper portion of the front of the range, a control panel consisting of an inclined plate mounted in said opening and having front, rear and side ends thereon, the front end of said plate being secured adjacent to and within the wall defining the bottom of said opening and the rear end of the said plate being secured to and beneath the top adjacent to the rear edge of said opening, the ends of said panel being located beneath the end walls of the opening with their upper edges conforming in contour to but spaced from the overhanging portions of the end walls of the said opening, and guide members secured to and beneath the top and constituting continuous guides with the aforesaid spaces formed between the overhanging portions of the end walls of the recesses and the end walls of the control panel, and a flexible door for the said opening having its ends mounted in the said guides.

2. In a range having a top and a front wall and provided with a plurality of burners below the top and between the front and the back thereof, valves below said top and located rearwardly of the front of the range for controlling the supply of gaseous fuel to said burners, means for supplying gaseous fuel to said valves, stems for operating the said valves, means for operating the said valve stems from the front of the said range, said means comprising an opening formed jointly in the front portion of the top and in the upper portion of the front of the range, a control panel comprising an inclined plate mounted in said opening and having front and rear ends thereon and upstanding side ends, the front end of said plate being secured adjacent to and within the wall defining the bottom of said opening and the rear end of the said plate being secured to and beneath the top of said opening adjacent the rear edge thereof, the side ends of said panel being located beneath the top surfaces of the end walls of the opening with their upper edges conforming in contour to but spaced from overhanging portions of the end walls of the said opening, guide members secured to and beneath the top and constituting continuous guides with the aforesaid spaces formed between the overhanging portions of the top and end walls of the range and the rear and side end walls of the control panel, a flexible door for the said opening having its ends mounted in the said guides, valve operating handles rotatably mounted upon the said control panel entirely within said opening in all positions thereof and each provided with a shaft and linkage means connecting the said shafts with the aforesaid valve stems, and locking means for securing the door in its closed position regardless of the position of said handles.

3. In a range having a top and a front wall and provided with a plurality of burners between the front and the back thereof, means for operating the said burners from the front of the said range, said means comprising an opening formed jointly in the front portion of the top and in the upper portion of the front of the range, a control panel comprising an inclined plate mounted in said opening and having upstanding sidewalls, the side walls of said panel being located beneath the top surfaces defining the lateral margins of the end walls of the opening with their upper edges conforming in contour to but spaced from provided with a plurality of burners between the front and the back thereof, means for operating the said burners from the front of the said range, said means comprising an opening formed jointly in the front portion of the top and in the upper portion of the front wall of the range, a control panel comprising an inclined plate mounted in a said opening and having upstanding sides, the

overhanging portions of the end Walls of the said opening, guide members secured to and beneath sides of said panel being located beneath the top surfaces of the end walls defining the lateral margins of the opening with their upper edges conforming in contour to but spaced from overhanging portions of the end walls of the said opening, guide members secured to and beneath the top and constituting continuous guides with the aforesaid spaces formed between the overhanging portions of the top and end walls of the range and the side end walls of the control panel, a flexible door for the said opening having its ends mounted in said guides, and burner control means mounted upon the said control panel within the margins of same and each individually connected to one of said burners.

WILLIAM R. JONES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 976,475 Livingston Nov. 22, 1910 1,546,717 Chilingirian July 21, 1925 1,564,277 Rolland Dec. 8, 1925 1,656,447 Schenk Jan. 17, 1928 1,689,955 Meachem Oct. 30, 1928 1,772,870 Lindemann Aug. 12, 1930 1,922,361 Freeland Aug. 15, 1933 1,931,334 Teller et a1. Oct. 17, 1933 1,974,222 Teller et al Sept. 18, 1934 2,013,931 Teller et al. Sept. 10, 1935 2,150,300 Teller et a1 Mar. 14, 1939 2,153,086 Hobson Apr. 4, 1939 

